Boxing News Thread
- Thread starter heyzel
- Start date
Man I dont like that Broner is fighting Porter lol. I like both fighters but of course I like Broner more but its a very tough fight. Oh well if Broner is gonna rise up he has to fight guys like this so lets see. Got Em!!
Props:
trips and trips
yea I would've favored those matchups a lot more. For Broner/Judah it would've been a passing of the torch cuz he most likely would've beat Zab(even tho I would root for Judah) and Porter/Thurman is just a fun ass fight. A brawl for most of that fight.
Props:
CZAR and CZAR
I'm not sure either. Plenty of guys at 140. I heard rumors that Broner was fucking around too much, calling out big names like Khan etc but not actually down to fight him, so Haymon is throwing him in with a tough opponent. Who knows.
Porter Discusses Catch-Weight Terms For Broner Clash
By Steve Kim
Former IBF welterweight titlist Shawn Porter faces Adrien Broner on June 20th in a battle of Ohio that will curiously take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. But while both combatants have competed as welterweights, this contest will be taking place at a catch-weight.
"The weight limit is 144-pounds plus a pound, give or take," said Kenny Porter, Shawn's father and trainer who is well aware of the tactics taking place.
"They're trying to bring us down to try to hurt us and they asked for a second-day weigh-in," continued the elder Porter. "The day of the fight we have to weigh-in, again."
Reportedly, neither fighter can weigh-in heavier than 155 pounds on the morning of this bout.
Broner, after being defeated by Marcos Maidana in Dec. '13, moved down from welterweight. Porter, who competed as high as super middleweight as an amateur, has had to gradually work his way down to the 147-pound weight class. You wonder if this puts him at a competitive disadvantage.
But as the elder Porter points out, "Shawn is not like most fighters. Shawn stays within 15 pounds of his fight weight. He never allows himself to go up after the fight. The most important time is not just the camp and not the fight - but what you do after the fights. So he was on-point afterwards."
Porter stopped late replacement Erick Bone in five rounds on March 13th.
"(Shawn's) at 157 (now); within 30 days of the fight - which is ten days days from now - I expect him to be at 154," the father said on Tuesday. "That's 10 lbs. off the fight weight and we're going to (lose) 2.5 pounds per week the rest of the way."
Porter Discusses Catch-Weight Terms For Broner Clash
By Steve Kim
Former IBF welterweight titlist Shawn Porter faces Adrien Broner on June 20th in a battle of Ohio that will curiously take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. But while both combatants have competed as welterweights, this contest will be taking place at a catch-weight.
"The weight limit is 144-pounds plus a pound, give or take," said Kenny Porter, Shawn's father and trainer who is well aware of the tactics taking place.
"They're trying to bring us down to try to hurt us and they asked for a second-day weigh-in," continued the elder Porter. "The day of the fight we have to weigh-in, again."
Reportedly, neither fighter can weigh-in heavier than 155 pounds on the morning of this bout.
Broner, after being defeated by Marcos Maidana in Dec. '13, moved down from welterweight. Porter, who competed as high as super middleweight as an amateur, has had to gradually work his way down to the 147-pound weight class. You wonder if this puts him at a competitive disadvantage.
But as the elder Porter points out, "Shawn is not like most fighters. Shawn stays within 15 pounds of his fight weight. He never allows himself to go up after the fight. The most important time is not just the camp and not the fight - but what you do after the fights. So he was on-point afterwards."
Porter stopped late replacement Erick Bone in five rounds on March 13th.
"(Shawn's) at 157 (now); within 30 days of the fight - which is ten days days from now - I expect him to be at 154," the father said on Tuesday. "That's 10 lbs. off the fight weight and we're going to (lose) 2.5 pounds per week the rest of the way."
Props:
CZAR and CZAR
The reason I think this fight is being made is because Thurman will get Mayweather or Marquez for his "final" fight. I think Haymon wants Thurman tho. Now, when it comes down to who will win between Broner vs Porter, Porter will probably do Broner worse than Maidana did. I think Haymon is done with Broner
lol brother fights
Roger. Mayweather Jabs Floyd Sr. Over Hand Injury/Training
"Floyd [Sr.] don’t even train Floyd, so it don’t make no difference about what he says. Don’t mean sh*t about what he said. Floyd don’t train Floyd, and he didn’t even know Floyd’s hand was hurting. I knew Floyd’s hands were hurting because I train Floyd every day. What does he know? He don’t know nothing. Floyd’s hands were hurting every day, but he fought him anyways," Roger told On The Ropes Boxing Radio.
Roger and Floyd Sr. have often traded barbs in the past over which of them was the force behind Floyd Jr.'s success, and also over which of them was the actual head trainer.
Roger. Mayweather Jabs Floyd Sr. Over Hand Injury/Training
"Floyd [Sr.] don’t even train Floyd, so it don’t make no difference about what he says. Don’t mean sh*t about what he said. Floyd don’t train Floyd, and he didn’t even know Floyd’s hand was hurting. I knew Floyd’s hands were hurting because I train Floyd every day. What does he know? He don’t know nothing. Floyd’s hands were hurting every day, but he fought him anyways," Roger told On The Ropes Boxing Radio.
Roger and Floyd Sr. have often traded barbs in the past over which of them was the force behind Floyd Jr.'s success, and also over which of them was the actual head trainer.
Dan Rafael chat wrap 5/15:
- Possibility of Mayweather-GGG happening? No.
- GGG-Canelo is a mega PPV fight down the road.
- Cole was horrible refereeing Figueroa-Burns.
- Does not think Cotto will fight GGG. Canelo will.
- If Froch wants a big fight he could fight GGG. He deserves to retire if he wants to.
- Believes Mayweather and Pacquiao will probably have a rematch.
- Expects Mayweather and Pacquiao to fight again (not necessarily vs. each other). Both will fight again and not retire yet.
- Picking GGG and Roman by KO.
- Does not think Pacquiao should have postponed fight due to injury. Had he had surgery before fight, Mayweather and Pacquiao probably never would have fought.
- Porter-Broner should be taking place in Ohio.
- Canelo had a great KO, showed good sportsmanship checking on Kirkland, and the atmosphere was great. One of the best arena atmospheres in awhile.
- Kirkland needs to get back with Ann Wolfe.
- Thinks Monroe hangs in for awhile vs. GGG. He is very confident and in great shape. He really wanted this fight.
- Generally agrees with Kellerman's take on the commission and the shot for Pacquiao. But Manny and his team deserve blame as well.
- Cowboy Stadium would be a great venue for Canelo-Cotto. It could attract 60k + attendance.
- If Cotto loses to Geale he would like Canelo to fight GGG next.
- Geale is being overlooked. He is a good fighter and a solid MW, whereas Martinez was a small MW.
- If Lemieux beats N'Dam a GGG fight would be great. Thinks Lemieux's team is not quite ready to make that fight.
- Lemieux and N'Dam are making 51k each for their fight. Lemieux may get some gate and Canadian PPV money.
- Does Canelo deserve another shot at Floyd? No.
- His sports teams: Yankees, Giants, Knicks, and Duke.
- Haymon gets to decide who he puts on TV. The cards have been uneven, but generally good.
- Good chance ESPN gets the rights to show Povetkin-Perez (ESPN2 on tape delay).
- Rios-Provodnikov this year? Not sure.
- FOTY so far? Matthysse-Provodnikov.
- Benavidez vs. Paez Jr? Benavidez by decision.
- Marriagas looked good on ESPN2. He beat Walters in a 2008 Olympic qualifier. Interesting fight.
- If Walters wins hopefully we get Walters-Lomachenko by the end of the year.
- GGG wants to unify all 4 MW belts. Only fighters to ever have done that: Hopkins and Taylor.
- GGG vs. Hagler? It would be a fight.
- Does not think fighting Algieri has hurt Khan's chances of fighting Mayweather.
- Not sure of Showtime's boxing plans, as they have not had any top level fights in 2015.
- HBO will not show Brook-Gavin.
- Thinks Canelo continues to have some fights on regular HBO.
- Roman Gonzalez is already a superstar in boxing, he just needs an audience.
- How will Pacquiao be remembered to him? A great fighter and a better person.
- ShowBox for June 26 is in the works. Sammy Vasquez will be on.
- Holyfield (current) could beat Eric Molina.
- Fury-Wlad will be next. They are already negotiating.
- The Forum is set to seat 12,600 for GGG-Monroe. They are close to selling out and may open up more seats. Bigger gate than when JMM fought there.
- Anthony Joshua the first person to stop Kevin Johnson? Yes.
- Bigger waste, Ayala Jr. or Francisco Bojado? Ayala.
- No news on Rigo. US networks do not want him.
- Floyd does plan on vacating his belts. No date yet.
- Weird that Paulie always bashes Manny. Manny would crush Paulie in the ring.
- On the undercard portion of GGG-Monroe is Erik Morales' brother, Ivan Morales. He is 27-0 (15 KO's).
- HBO wanted to show Lemieux-N'Dam, but could not accommodate it in June. They could not change date as GB was under pressure by the IBF to make the fight happen.
- If GGG cannot get a big fight this fall, he would like to fight in September and December.
- Not sure Glen Tapia ever reaches the next level in boxing.
- Best fight on FNF? Ward-Augustus. Julio Gonzalez vs. Julian Letterlough was a good one as well.
- DeGale vs. Dirrell is a 50/50 fight. Not expecting much action.
- MSG wants GGG to fight there again. Also interest in having him fight in San Antonio.
- Favorite fight where an underdog won? Douglas-Tyson.
- Thinks Bradley-Vargas will be a good fight.
- Floyd's Showtime deal must be considered a success now.
- Lampley and Bernstein were good commentating together.
- Possibility of Mayweather-GGG happening? No.
- GGG-Canelo is a mega PPV fight down the road.
- Cole was horrible refereeing Figueroa-Burns.
- Does not think Cotto will fight GGG. Canelo will.
- If Froch wants a big fight he could fight GGG. He deserves to retire if he wants to.
- Believes Mayweather and Pacquiao will probably have a rematch.
- Expects Mayweather and Pacquiao to fight again (not necessarily vs. each other). Both will fight again and not retire yet.
- Picking GGG and Roman by KO.
- Does not think Pacquiao should have postponed fight due to injury. Had he had surgery before fight, Mayweather and Pacquiao probably never would have fought.
- Porter-Broner should be taking place in Ohio.
- Canelo had a great KO, showed good sportsmanship checking on Kirkland, and the atmosphere was great. One of the best arena atmospheres in awhile.
- Kirkland needs to get back with Ann Wolfe.
- Thinks Monroe hangs in for awhile vs. GGG. He is very confident and in great shape. He really wanted this fight.
- Generally agrees with Kellerman's take on the commission and the shot for Pacquiao. But Manny and his team deserve blame as well.
- Cowboy Stadium would be a great venue for Canelo-Cotto. It could attract 60k + attendance.
- If Cotto loses to Geale he would like Canelo to fight GGG next.
- Geale is being overlooked. He is a good fighter and a solid MW, whereas Martinez was a small MW.
- If Lemieux beats N'Dam a GGG fight would be great. Thinks Lemieux's team is not quite ready to make that fight.
- Lemieux and N'Dam are making 51k each for their fight. Lemieux may get some gate and Canadian PPV money.
- Does Canelo deserve another shot at Floyd? No.
- His sports teams: Yankees, Giants, Knicks, and Duke.
- Haymon gets to decide who he puts on TV. The cards have been uneven, but generally good.
- Good chance ESPN gets the rights to show Povetkin-Perez (ESPN2 on tape delay).
- Rios-Provodnikov this year? Not sure.
- FOTY so far? Matthysse-Provodnikov.
- Benavidez vs. Paez Jr? Benavidez by decision.
- Marriagas looked good on ESPN2. He beat Walters in a 2008 Olympic qualifier. Interesting fight.
- If Walters wins hopefully we get Walters-Lomachenko by the end of the year.
- GGG wants to unify all 4 MW belts. Only fighters to ever have done that: Hopkins and Taylor.
- GGG vs. Hagler? It would be a fight.
- Does not think fighting Algieri has hurt Khan's chances of fighting Mayweather.
- Not sure of Showtime's boxing plans, as they have not had any top level fights in 2015.
- HBO will not show Brook-Gavin.
- Thinks Canelo continues to have some fights on regular HBO.
- Roman Gonzalez is already a superstar in boxing, he just needs an audience.
- How will Pacquiao be remembered to him? A great fighter and a better person.
- ShowBox for June 26 is in the works. Sammy Vasquez will be on.
- Holyfield (current) could beat Eric Molina.
- Fury-Wlad will be next. They are already negotiating.
- The Forum is set to seat 12,600 for GGG-Monroe. They are close to selling out and may open up more seats. Bigger gate than when JMM fought there.
- Anthony Joshua the first person to stop Kevin Johnson? Yes.
- Bigger waste, Ayala Jr. or Francisco Bojado? Ayala.
- No news on Rigo. US networks do not want him.
- Floyd does plan on vacating his belts. No date yet.
- Weird that Paulie always bashes Manny. Manny would crush Paulie in the ring.
- On the undercard portion of GGG-Monroe is Erik Morales' brother, Ivan Morales. He is 27-0 (15 KO's).
- HBO wanted to show Lemieux-N'Dam, but could not accommodate it in June. They could not change date as GB was under pressure by the IBF to make the fight happen.
- If GGG cannot get a big fight this fall, he would like to fight in September and December.
- Not sure Glen Tapia ever reaches the next level in boxing.
- Best fight on FNF? Ward-Augustus. Julio Gonzalez vs. Julian Letterlough was a good one as well.
- DeGale vs. Dirrell is a 50/50 fight. Not expecting much action.
- MSG wants GGG to fight there again. Also interest in having him fight in San Antonio.
- Favorite fight where an underdog won? Douglas-Tyson.
- Thinks Bradley-Vargas will be a good fight.
- Floyd's Showtime deal must be considered a success now.
- Lampley and Bernstein were good commentating together.
Malignaggi cut, comeback fight off
A junior lightweight battle between Javier Fortuna and Bryan Vasquez will now open the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Spike telecast on May 29 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Fortuna vs. Vasquez, which was originally scheduled to take place May 23, replaces the bout between Paulie Malignaggi and Danny O’Connor as Malignaggi suffered a severe cut above his eye in training camp. The Fortuna-Vazquez 12-rounder will lead into the clash between former world champions Amir Khan and Chris Algieri. O’Connor will now fight in his hometown of Boston on Saturday, May 23 on the undercard of the PBC on NBC event from Boston University’s Agganis Arena.
A junior lightweight battle between Javier Fortuna and Bryan Vasquez will now open the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Spike telecast on May 29 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Fortuna vs. Vasquez, which was originally scheduled to take place May 23, replaces the bout between Paulie Malignaggi and Danny O’Connor as Malignaggi suffered a severe cut above his eye in training camp. The Fortuna-Vazquez 12-rounder will lead into the clash between former world champions Amir Khan and Chris Algieri. O’Connor will now fight in his hometown of Boston on Saturday, May 23 on the undercard of the PBC on NBC event from Boston University’s Agganis Arena.
Chocolatito: Introducing Roman Gonzalez, who may be the world's best boxer
By Scott Christ
S @scott christBLH on May 11, 2015, 12:00p 47
Ken Ishii/Getty Images
Nicaragua's Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez makes his HBO debut this Saturday night. Why should you care? Because he might be the best boxer in the world today.
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This Saturday night at The Forum in Inglewood, California, Nicaragua's Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez will make his HBO debut against Mexican veteran Edgar Sosa. For many American fight fans, it will be the first chance to see Gonzalez, 27, in action. For diehard fans of boxing, it is a gift, as Gonzalez is quite possibly the best boxer in the world today -- yes, arguably better than the 38-year-old version of "TBE" himself.
So who is Gonzalez, and why should you care about this pint-sized dynamo?
Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez
Age: 27
Hometown: Managua, Nicaragua
Record: 42-0, 36 KO
Titles: WBA strawweight (2008-10), WBA junior flyweight (2011-12), WBC flyweight (2012-present)
Gonzalez turned pro on July 1, 2005, just a couple of weeks after his 18th birthday, at Casino Pharaohs in Managua, knocking out his opponent in the second round of a scheduled four-round fight. He stopped his first 16 opponents, mostly fighting at 108 pounds, before going to Japan on January 14, 2008, and being taken the distance for the first time by Hiroshi Matsumoto. The scores for the 10-round road trip were 100-90 twice, and 98-92.
His next fight came six weeks later back home in Nicaragua, where he again went the distance, even though he dropped club fighter Javier "Maravilla" Murillo seven times in 10 rounds. Seven months after that fight, he won his first world title, and he's been dominant ever since.
Fights to Watch
Gonzalez vs Yutaka Niida (9/15/2008): Gonzalez's first world title win, a powerful and overwhelming beating of Niida, who was a two-time champ at 105 pounds and a pretty darn good fighter. Niida, who had retired once after his first world title win in 2001 due to back problems, never fought again after this was stopped in the fourth round by the referee and ringside physician, a combination of the loss of the fight and the sudden loss of his trainer Mitsunori Seki, who passed away three months prior to this bout.
Gonzalez vs Francisco Rosas (2/28/2009): Gonzalez's first title defense (after a flyweight homecoming/stay-busy win in December) came on the road in Mexico against Rosas, a tough veteran who had never been stopped. Rosas gave Gonzalez the first really serious test of his career, with Roman retaining via majority decision. When they rematched in October 2010, Gonzalez knocked him out in the second round.
Gonzalez vs Katsunari Takayama (7/14/2009): Coming off the close call against Rosas, Gonzalez got back to business in Japan with a dominant decision win over Takayama, who would go on to become a two-time titleholder at strawweight, and currently holds the IBF title.
Gonzalez vs Omar Soto (10/1/2011): "Chocolatito" had won the WBA junior flyweight interim title with his rematch wipeout of Rosas in 2010, and defended already against Manuel "Chango" Vargas and Omar Salado, both fights coming in Mexico. This isn't really a notable fight other than it was Gonzalez's first bout on American soil, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on the undercard of the FOX Deportes-televised Nishioka-Marquez card. He wrecked Soto, who had missed weight by almost four pounds, in the second round.
Gonzalez vs Juan Francisco Estrada (11/17/2012): Fighting at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, Gonzalez defended his junior flyweight belt for the final time against Mexico's Estrada, a 22-year-old fighter with a record of 26-1. Gonzalez had to go the distance, but won clearly and got the deserved score cards. This fight is really notable now, because after this, Estrada upset Brian Viloria to win the WBA and WBO flyweight titles, and now is considered the No. 2 flyweight in the world behind only his former rival, Gonzalez.
Gonzalez vs Francisco Rodriguez Jr (9/21/2013): In what was his functional flyweight debut (after taking a stay-busy fight at a 116-pound catchweight, a TKO-5 win over veteran Ronald Barrera), Gonzalez put a pretty good beating on Rodriguez, who was 12-1 entering the fight. Notable mostly because after this, Rodriguez would drop down to strawweight and win the WBO title in March 2014 by beating Merlito Sabillo, unifying that with the IBF title five months later with a win over the aforementioned Takayama. (He later vacated both belts.)
Gonzalez vs Akira Yaegashi (9/5/2014): Yaegashi, like Gonzalez, was a former strawweight titleholder who had moved up in weight, and defended his WBC flyweight belt for the fourth time against Gonzalez. It would be his last defense, as the Nicaraguan dropped him in the third, dominated the fight, and finished him off in the ninth round to make clear that the flyweight division had a new chief. This was also Gonzalez's 40th win.
Gonzalez vs Rocky Fuentes (11/22/2014): Gonzalez's first title defense was another pretty one-sided fight, with "Chocolatito" stopping Filipino contender Fuentes in the fifth round. Fuentes had lost his prior fight, a vacant IBF world title match against Amnat Ruenroeng in Thailand, but the way Gonzalez beat him was still very impressive. (Gonzalez has fought once since this fight, beating Valentin Leon in a catchweight bout on February 28 in Nicaragua.)
Next Up
Flyweights (and even "worse," strawweights and junior flyweights) are always going to be a tough sell to the casual fan, but thankfully not everything in the world has to be for the casual fan. This is flat-out one of the very best fighters on the planet today, an offensive tornado with incredible skills, and it's encouraging that HBO is getting on the ball and airing someone who is this good.
Edgar Sosa (51-8, 30 KO) is a 35-year-old veteran who reigned as WBC junior flyweight titleholder from 2007-2009, fighting constantly over that time and making 10 successful title defenses before a controversial TKO-2 loss to foul-happy Rodel Mayol in November '09, where Mayol headbutted Sosa, causing multiple fractures to Sosa's cheekbone, and directly leading to the stoppage win after the fight continued.
Since then, Sosa has had some success as a flyweight, but has failed in two bids to secure another world title, losing to WBC titlists Pongsaklek Wonjongkam and Akira Yaegashi in 2011 and 2013, respectively. He won a pair of fights against journeyman types Omar Salado and Carlos Melo in 2014, but he is and should be a big time underdog against a fighter of Gonzalez's stature on Saturday.
Even if the fight isn't exactly 50-50 on paper (or close to it), Gonzalez, like headliner Gennady Golovkin, is a fighter you tune in to see anyway, because he's simply that good and that exciting to watch.
Since seeing is believing and you might not have the time or desire to watch all those fights linked above, here's a breakdown of Gonzalez's style from Lee Wylie, which was put together last October for The Fight City:
Small badlefthook.com.minimal
More from Bad Left Hook
Floyd Sr on Mayweather-Golovkin: 'He ain't fighting no damn giant'
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Weights: Gennady Golovkin 159, Willie Monroe Jr 160
Mayweather upset with Pacquiao, holds interview with Jim Gray
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Tweet (74) Share (2465) Pin 47 Comments
By Scott Christ
S @scott christBLH on May 11, 2015, 12:00p 47
Ken Ishii/Getty Images
Nicaragua's Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez makes his HBO debut this Saturday night. Why should you care? Because he might be the best boxer in the world today.
Tweet (74) Share (2465)
Pin
This Saturday night at The Forum in Inglewood, California, Nicaragua's Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez will make his HBO debut against Mexican veteran Edgar Sosa. For many American fight fans, it will be the first chance to see Gonzalez, 27, in action. For diehard fans of boxing, it is a gift, as Gonzalez is quite possibly the best boxer in the world today -- yes, arguably better than the 38-year-old version of "TBE" himself.
So who is Gonzalez, and why should you care about this pint-sized dynamo?
Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez
Age: 27
Hometown: Managua, Nicaragua
Record: 42-0, 36 KO
Titles: WBA strawweight (2008-10), WBA junior flyweight (2011-12), WBC flyweight (2012-present)
Gonzalez turned pro on July 1, 2005, just a couple of weeks after his 18th birthday, at Casino Pharaohs in Managua, knocking out his opponent in the second round of a scheduled four-round fight. He stopped his first 16 opponents, mostly fighting at 108 pounds, before going to Japan on January 14, 2008, and being taken the distance for the first time by Hiroshi Matsumoto. The scores for the 10-round road trip were 100-90 twice, and 98-92.
His next fight came six weeks later back home in Nicaragua, where he again went the distance, even though he dropped club fighter Javier "Maravilla" Murillo seven times in 10 rounds. Seven months after that fight, he won his first world title, and he's been dominant ever since.
Fights to Watch
Gonzalez vs Yutaka Niida (9/15/2008): Gonzalez's first world title win, a powerful and overwhelming beating of Niida, who was a two-time champ at 105 pounds and a pretty darn good fighter. Niida, who had retired once after his first world title win in 2001 due to back problems, never fought again after this was stopped in the fourth round by the referee and ringside physician, a combination of the loss of the fight and the sudden loss of his trainer Mitsunori Seki, who passed away three months prior to this bout.
Gonzalez vs Francisco Rosas (2/28/2009): Gonzalez's first title defense (after a flyweight homecoming/stay-busy win in December) came on the road in Mexico against Rosas, a tough veteran who had never been stopped. Rosas gave Gonzalez the first really serious test of his career, with Roman retaining via majority decision. When they rematched in October 2010, Gonzalez knocked him out in the second round.
Gonzalez vs Katsunari Takayama (7/14/2009): Coming off the close call against Rosas, Gonzalez got back to business in Japan with a dominant decision win over Takayama, who would go on to become a two-time titleholder at strawweight, and currently holds the IBF title.
Gonzalez vs Omar Soto (10/1/2011): "Chocolatito" had won the WBA junior flyweight interim title with his rematch wipeout of Rosas in 2010, and defended already against Manuel "Chango" Vargas and Omar Salado, both fights coming in Mexico. This isn't really a notable fight other than it was Gonzalez's first bout on American soil, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on the undercard of the FOX Deportes-televised Nishioka-Marquez card. He wrecked Soto, who had missed weight by almost four pounds, in the second round.
Gonzalez vs Juan Francisco Estrada (11/17/2012): Fighting at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, Gonzalez defended his junior flyweight belt for the final time against Mexico's Estrada, a 22-year-old fighter with a record of 26-1. Gonzalez had to go the distance, but won clearly and got the deserved score cards. This fight is really notable now, because after this, Estrada upset Brian Viloria to win the WBA and WBO flyweight titles, and now is considered the No. 2 flyweight in the world behind only his former rival, Gonzalez.
Gonzalez vs Francisco Rodriguez Jr (9/21/2013): In what was his functional flyweight debut (after taking a stay-busy fight at a 116-pound catchweight, a TKO-5 win over veteran Ronald Barrera), Gonzalez put a pretty good beating on Rodriguez, who was 12-1 entering the fight. Notable mostly because after this, Rodriguez would drop down to strawweight and win the WBO title in March 2014 by beating Merlito Sabillo, unifying that with the IBF title five months later with a win over the aforementioned Takayama. (He later vacated both belts.)
Gonzalez vs Akira Yaegashi (9/5/2014): Yaegashi, like Gonzalez, was a former strawweight titleholder who had moved up in weight, and defended his WBC flyweight belt for the fourth time against Gonzalez. It would be his last defense, as the Nicaraguan dropped him in the third, dominated the fight, and finished him off in the ninth round to make clear that the flyweight division had a new chief. This was also Gonzalez's 40th win.
Gonzalez vs Rocky Fuentes (11/22/2014): Gonzalez's first title defense was another pretty one-sided fight, with "Chocolatito" stopping Filipino contender Fuentes in the fifth round. Fuentes had lost his prior fight, a vacant IBF world title match against Amnat Ruenroeng in Thailand, but the way Gonzalez beat him was still very impressive. (Gonzalez has fought once since this fight, beating Valentin Leon in a catchweight bout on February 28 in Nicaragua.)
Next Up
Flyweights (and even "worse," strawweights and junior flyweights) are always going to be a tough sell to the casual fan, but thankfully not everything in the world has to be for the casual fan. This is flat-out one of the very best fighters on the planet today, an offensive tornado with incredible skills, and it's encouraging that HBO is getting on the ball and airing someone who is this good.
Edgar Sosa (51-8, 30 KO) is a 35-year-old veteran who reigned as WBC junior flyweight titleholder from 2007-2009, fighting constantly over that time and making 10 successful title defenses before a controversial TKO-2 loss to foul-happy Rodel Mayol in November '09, where Mayol headbutted Sosa, causing multiple fractures to Sosa's cheekbone, and directly leading to the stoppage win after the fight continued.
Since then, Sosa has had some success as a flyweight, but has failed in two bids to secure another world title, losing to WBC titlists Pongsaklek Wonjongkam and Akira Yaegashi in 2011 and 2013, respectively. He won a pair of fights against journeyman types Omar Salado and Carlos Melo in 2014, but he is and should be a big time underdog against a fighter of Gonzalez's stature on Saturday.
Even if the fight isn't exactly 50-50 on paper (or close to it), Gonzalez, like headliner Gennady Golovkin, is a fighter you tune in to see anyway, because he's simply that good and that exciting to watch.
Since seeing is believing and you might not have the time or desire to watch all those fights linked above, here's a breakdown of Gonzalez's style from Lee Wylie, which was put together last October for The Fight City:
Small badlefthook.com.minimal
More from Bad Left Hook
Floyd Sr on Mayweather-Golovkin: 'He ain't fighting no damn giant'
Victor Ortiz claims 'the world wants' a Mayweather rematch
Malignaggi vs O'Connor scrapped for 5/29 Spike card
Weights: Gennady Golovkin 159, Willie Monroe Jr 160
Mayweather upset with Pacquiao, holds interview with Jim Gray
Golovkin vs Monroe: Full weigh-in video
Tweet (74) Share (2465) Pin 47 Comments
Bernard Hopkins wants to win world title at 168 pounds
By Scott Christ
S @scott christBLH on May 11, 2015, 3:35p 15
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Bernard Hopkins, 50, is ready to go down to 168 pounds and win another world title.
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Most fighters go up in weight. Bernard Hopkins isn't most fighters. The 50-year-old former middleweight and light heavyweight champion is looking to move down to super middleweight and become a three-weight world champion.
"[I'm looking to fight] at 168; I want to be a three-weight world champion. I jumped over 168 and never went back down. Right now, I'm weighing 174½. I feel good. I would like to fight Froch. He brings a fan base like I bring and I think I have a fan base on both sides of the world."
It has to be said, of course, that Froch vacated his IBF title earlier this year, and was recently stripped of his WBA "world" title, so if Hopkins is looking to win a belt, he's barking up the wrong tree with Carl Froch.
For world titles, Hopkins' choices at 168 would currently be Andre Ward, who finally returns on June 20 against Paul Smith and is the WBA "super world" champion; Badou Jack, who recently won the WBC title and has a mandatory against George Groves likely to come this year; Arthur Abraham, the WBO titleholder who faces Robert Stieglitz for a fourth time on July 18; and the winner of the May 23 fight between James DeGale and Andre Dirrell, which is for the vacant IBF title.
It might be hard for Hopkins to face Jack or Dirrell, as they are both with Al Haymon, and Hopkins is a promoter for Golden Boy Promotions, which is currently suing Haymon. Hopkins has said in the past that he'd never fight Ward, but he also said he'd retire when he turned 40. The Abraham-Stieglitz winner could be possible, maybe. You never really know what roadblocks might come up.
Do you see Hopkins getting a shot at a belt at 168, and if he does, can he win yet again? (Or, I guess, will he?)
By Scott Christ
S @scott christBLH on May 11, 2015, 3:35p 15
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Bernard Hopkins, 50, is ready to go down to 168 pounds and win another world title.
Tweet (24) Share (1043)
Pin
Most fighters go up in weight. Bernard Hopkins isn't most fighters. The 50-year-old former middleweight and light heavyweight champion is looking to move down to super middleweight and become a three-weight world champion.
"[I'm looking to fight] at 168; I want to be a three-weight world champion. I jumped over 168 and never went back down. Right now, I'm weighing 174½. I feel good. I would like to fight Froch. He brings a fan base like I bring and I think I have a fan base on both sides of the world."
It has to be said, of course, that Froch vacated his IBF title earlier this year, and was recently stripped of his WBA "world" title, so if Hopkins is looking to win a belt, he's barking up the wrong tree with Carl Froch.
For world titles, Hopkins' choices at 168 would currently be Andre Ward, who finally returns on June 20 against Paul Smith and is the WBA "super world" champion; Badou Jack, who recently won the WBC title and has a mandatory against George Groves likely to come this year; Arthur Abraham, the WBO titleholder who faces Robert Stieglitz for a fourth time on July 18; and the winner of the May 23 fight between James DeGale and Andre Dirrell, which is for the vacant IBF title.
It might be hard for Hopkins to face Jack or Dirrell, as they are both with Al Haymon, and Hopkins is a promoter for Golden Boy Promotions, which is currently suing Haymon. Hopkins has said in the past that he'd never fight Ward, but he also said he'd retire when he turned 40. The Abraham-Stieglitz winner could be possible, maybe. You never really know what roadblocks might come up.
Do you see Hopkins getting a shot at a belt at 168, and if he does, can he win yet again? (Or, I guess, will he?)
El día que yo suba a 160 Libras el mejor que este ahí lo enfrento sinceramente y con humildad no veo competencia���� saludos a todos!!
— Canelo (@Canelo) May 17, 2015
“When the day comes for me to move up to 160 I will face the best in the division. Sincerely and with humility I don’t see any real competition for me. Greetings to everyone!”
@2-0-Sixx you gonna let Canelo talk about your boy like that lol. I see De La Hoya putting the delusion into Canelos head lol
— Canelo (@Canelo) May 17, 2015
“When the day comes for me to move up to 160 I will face the best in the division. Sincerely and with humility I don’t see any real competition for me. Greetings to everyone!”
@2-0-Sixx you gonna let Canelo talk about your boy like that lol. I see De La Hoya putting the delusion into Canelos head lol
